Through the Tears and the Laughter
by ElvenQueen18
Summary: A gender-flipped Shirou/Saber. There are some stories that never really end, and Saber and Shira's love story—spanning across multiple realities—is one of them. A series of one-shots serving as a companion to "Fate/Gender Reversal"; read that fic first.
1. The Morning After

**Author's Note:** Hello, readers, and Merry Christmas! I come with a brand new fic: that collection of F/GR one-shots I promised. :D

As the summary suggests, although I imagine that many of these one-shots will take place in the good epilogue universe, some will take place in the true epilogue universe, others will take place after the true ending regardless of epilogues, and quite a few will be set in their own universes. I could always have author's notes telling you which universe each one-shot is set in, but I figure it'll be pretty obvious as you're reading.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fate/stay night.

* * *

**The Morning After**

The sun was shining brightly through the bedroom's window as Saber slowly woke up. The first thing he became aware of was the ceiling above him, followed by the smells of food coming from the dining room and the light breathing of the girl lying beside him.

Or rather, lying _on_ him, he quickly amended as he flickered his gaze downward. At some point during the night, Shira had rolled onto her stomach, and her right arm was draped over Saber with her head on his chest. As he took a moment to study her face—the rise of her cheekbones, the line of her jaw, the lips that were curved up in a small, relaxed smile—he found himself thinking of the last woman with whom he had shared a bed, how different it had been from sharing a bed with Shira.

When Saber had shared a bed with Guinevere during their marriage, he had stayed on his side of the bed while she stayed on hers, almost never facing each other and only rarely engaging in any kind of physical contact. It was just one example of how it was duty and not romantic love that had bound him to his first wife. But with Shira, it was the exact opposite; even in slumber, she couldn't suppress the urge to be as close to Saber as she could.

At present, she looked so peaceful that he almost didn't want to wake her, even as the enticing scents of steamed rice, fermented soy beans, and broiled fish continued to fill his nose. Just as he was wondering how he could get out of the futon without disturbing her sleep, Shira stirred a bit, grunting as she was brought back to the waking world.

"Good morning, Shira," Saber greeted.

"Mmm..." came her response as she snuggled further into him, her eyes remaining closed. "You're still here," she added quietly, her voice full of relief.

"I promised I would be," Saber reminded her, continuing when the only reply he received was a sleepy hum. "Shira, I have been smelling breakfast for the past few minutes."

"Have you? I must've overslept." But the redhead, still lying on Saber and determinedly trying to go back to sleep, didn't sound terribly concerned.

"Perhaps we should be getting up now," the blond said, gently removing Shira's arm from around him.

"Do we have to?" she asked after finally opening her eyes and being forced to get up on her knees as Saber sat up in the futon.

He barely resisted laughing at the pout on her face, and he couldn't help but remember how she'd reacted to waking up on top of him that morning in the ruins. Back then, Shira had been incredibly embarrassed, blushing furiously and unable to look Saber in the eye. Amazing how things could change.

"As appealing as staying in bed all day might be," he said presently, "we will need to eat sooner or later."

"Oh, all right." And with that, Shira stretched out her bare arms, her eyes closed and her back slightly arched. Saber stared perhaps a second longer than necessary at the skin the redhead's white nightgown exposed. The garment was not immodest, exactly, but Shira was showing quite a bit more flesh than she usually did; needless to say, Saber had to remember how to breathe when she'd removed her robe after they'd gone to her room last night.

"So, Saber," Shira began after she'd finished stretching, "do you know what you'll say to—"

She never finished her question, because at that moment, the door was shoved open, revealing one Taiga Fujimura standing in the hall. Before either Saber or Shira could do more than look in the woman's direction, Taiga had opened her mouth to speak.

"Shira, what in the world are you doing still in bed?" she scolded, currently oblivious to the fact that Saber was in the futon as well.

"Um...well..." Shira started awkwardly, flushing.

"Come on! The food's getting cold!" At last, Taiga glanced over at the blond. "Oh, hey, Saber; I didn't see you there."

And with that casual statement, Taiga turned to leave, but suddenly froze as she realized what she had just said. When she whirled back around, her light brown eyes were alight with anger.

"SHIRA! WHAT THE HELL IS _SABER_ DOING HERE?! AND IN YOUR _BED_?!"

Shira visibly winced as she and Saber got to their feet, the latter trying his best to speak evenly despite his own reddening face.

"Taiga, I assure you that there is a perfectly good explanation as to why—"

"SHUT UP, YOU!" Shira's guardian now turned her wrath on Saber. "You've got some nerve, leaving Shira miserable for _weeks_ and then just showing up out of the blue! And taking advantage of a girl in her vulnerable state—!"

"Fuji-nee, stop it!" Shira interrupted heatedly. "Saber didn't take advantage of me!"

"He was in bed with you!" Taiga snapped. "What else am I supposed to think?!"

Shira's face was now about as red as her hair. "Nothing happened! All we did was sleep! And if anything, _I_ took advantage of _him_, not the other way around!"

_It would not be taking advantage if both parties are willing,_ Saber thought, but he wasn't too worried about that. What he _did_ find concerning was what Taiga had said about Shira being miserable after he left. The rational side of him calmly reminded him that he did not disappear by choice and that it had only been by the Grail system's design that he vanished after the Holy Grail War ended, but he still felt guilt gnaw at him at the thought of causing his lover grief.

Whatever Taiga would have fired back at Shira remained a mystery as a young, childlike voice broke in, sounding irritable.

"What are you yelling about this time, Taiga?"

"And what's all this about—"

But the owner of the second voice—Rin—abruptly stopped talking as Saber, Shira, and Taiga turned their gazes to the hallway. There Rin, Ilyasviel, and Sakura stood, all staring at the blond in undisguised shock.

"S-Saber!" Sakura gasped.

The seconds passed in silence. Saber was inclined to think that all three girls wanted to ask why he was here and alive rather than gone and dead like he was supposed to, but wisely kept their mouths shut due to Taiga's presence.

On the other hand, though, their astonishment at his return may have just rendered them speechless.

"Uh...so..." Shira suddenly smiled cheerfully, her face now its normal color, "Sakura, you made breakfast this morning?"

"Y-yes; yes, I did, Senpai," Sakura replied, tearing her still stunned gaze from Saber to Shira.

"Don't try to change the subject!" Taiga glared at her ward, her hackles raised again. "You still have some explaining to do!"

Saber could have sworn he heard Rin mutter, "You certainly do."

"I'll explain everything at breakfast," Shira said firmly. "Now, do you mind leaving? I want to talk to Saber for a minute."

Taiga's glare did not soften—in fact, it seemed to become more pronounced when she looked at Saber—but she begrudgingly followed Sakura, Rin, and Ilyasviel back to the dining room.

"I guess I can tell Fuji-nee that we're together," Shira told Saber once Taiga was out of hearing range, "and I can probably say that you missed me so much you decided to return from England. Which is the truth...kind of."

"But it's not the whole truth," Saber pointed out. "You do not intend to tell Taiga about the Grail War?"

Shira shook her head. "She doesn't even know that I'm a magus. And with the way she's acting, I bet she'd ground me for life if I told her everything."

Saber had nothing to say to that. He stared at the floor for a moment, then snapped his gaze back to Shira.

"Shira, I meant to say this last night, but I am so sorry—"

"Don't be," the redhead interrupted at once, stepping closer to Saber and putting a hand on his arm. "We didn't have a choice—the Grail had to be destroyed. And it wouldn't have been fair for me to ask you to stay."

"But Taiga said a few minutes ago that you have been miserable for these past weeks."

"Fuji-nee just exaggerated," Shira insisted.

"Did she?" Saber asked, unconvinced.

Shira opened her mouth, then closed it, letting go of Saber's arm and looking down with a crestfallen expression on her face.

That was all the answer he needed, and the guilt increased. "Shira, I'm—"

But his apology was suddenly cut off by Shira shooting her head up, grabbing his face in her hands, and kissing him soundly on the mouth.

She pulled away after a few seconds, his face still cradled in her hands. "Stop apologizing," she chided softly. "Yes, I was upset about you disappearing—I was _very_ upset, in fact—but you told me last night that it didn't matter to you that you had to wait fifteen centuries to see me again. Well, the same applies to me. Six weeks, fifteen hundred years—it doesn't matter how long we were apart; what matters is that we're together now."

Saber remained silent for a few seconds after Shira finished, able to do nothing more than stare at her.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked, lowering her hands to her sides.

He at last found his voice. "What is there for me to say?"

A wry grin crossed her lips. "Well, for starters, you can accept that you have nothing to be sorry for, not to mention that we love each other enough to endure being separated for a long period of time."

Saber's lips quivered upward, and he allowed Shira to give him another, chaster kiss.

When the kiss ended, Shira's grin had softened into a warm smile. "Seriously, Saber, I'm really glad you're back."

"It is good to be back," was all Saber said, and it wasn't long before they left to finally eat breakfast, as ready as they would ever be to face Taiga's demands for answers.


	2. Hollow Smiles

**Author's Note:** The cover art used for this fic was drawn by Florallover. Thanks, Floral!

* * *

**Hollow Smiles**

It was cloudy that night.

Shira was in the middle of preparing dinner when the doorbell rang. She hurried from the kitchen to the entrance, opening the door to reveal Rin and Sakura. That was a little surprising, since the sisters had arrived earlier than expected, but the redhead hardly gave it any thought as she allowed them into the estate.

"Don't worry about it," Shira said after Sakura asked about helping her with the cooking. "I've already got everything on the stove."

Sakura opened her mouth to ask another question, but had only spoken a few words before she, Rin, and Shira made it to the dining room.

"Oh. I see you've already set the table, too," the violet-haired girl commented.

Indeed, the dining room table was all set up for dinner. There was one place for each person, complete with placemats, plates, bowls, chopsticks, silverware, and napkins. To an outside observer, the sight of a table ready for an upcoming meal was a perfectly ordinary one.

But it escaped neither Rin's nor Sakura's notice that Shira had set the table for six, not five.

The younger sister bit her lower lip in worry, while the older sister merely frowned, her expression unreadable.

"Dinner will be ready soon," Shira said presently, her voice cheerful and her smile pleasant as she walked over to the cabinets in the kitchen. "You guys go ahead and sit down; I'll get the drinks."

Without waiting for a reply, she opened a cabinet, got out half a dozen glasses, and set them on the counter, then proceeded to open the refrigerator to retrieve the pitcher full of tea.

"Do you plan on feeding an army tonight, Shira?" Rin asked dryly.

Shira's grip on the pitcher tightened ever so slightly as she poured tea into the third glass. Even so, her smile stayed in place as she turned to see that Rin was standing in front of the stove and eyeing the three huge pots containing rice, soup, and noodles respectively.

"Well, you know how Fuji-nee's appetite is." The redhead laughed a bit, and it sounded a little too shrill, a little too forced. "Look on the bright side—we might actually end up having leftovers!"

"Um, Senpai?" Sakura, who was still standing before the table, spoke in a hesitant, cautious tone. "You've...set an extra place."

_No, I didn't,_ was Shira's automatic thought, and she was about to say as much when her gaze darted to the number of places on the table. She counted one, two, three, four, five—

Six. There were places for six people to have dinner...but one seat would be vacant.

The redhead felt her throat constricting. "...Oh." She laughed again, sounding even more forced than before. "So I have."

"Senpai," Sakura began, walking to where Shira stood by the counter, her voice quiet and not intending to wound, "you're still thinking about Saber, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm not; what gave you that idea?" Shira's bright smile remained plastered onto her face as she returned her attention to pouring tea. "Now, would either of you like sugar?"

"Senpai," Sakura repeated anxiously, "it's okay to miss him."

Shira's brown eyes switched back to her younger friend, and she was about to say that she didn't miss Saber at all and that Sakura was worrying over nothing when Rin's voice cut in.

"Stop with the pussyfooting around, Sakura," the black-haired girl said bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at Shira with a steely expression. "Shira, face it—Saber's not coming back. He disappeared at Ryudou Temple after the Grail was destroyed. He's gone."

"Nee-san—" Sakura started to say. There was no confusion in her voice (as Shira would have expected if Rin had started talking about something related to the Grail War just a few weeks ago), only the urge to get her sister to stop talking.

But Rin ignored her, still staring at Shira, whose smile was slowly starting to crack. "Saber's gone, Shira. It doesn't matter how much food you make or how many times you set an extra place at the table, because he won't be here."

"Tohsaka—" Shira's voice had become strained as she struggled to maintain the ever so hollow smile.

"Don't try saying you're fine—you're not," Rin snapped, and if there was even the smallest tinge of concern in her voice, it was drowned out by anger. "I get that you really liked Saber, but he's _gone_. The sooner you accept that, the better off you'll—"

"Tohsaka, will you just shut the hell up?" Shira was no longer trying to smile; her cheery façade had broken completely, leaving only a glare on her face and a burning sensation beneath her eyes.

"Senpai!" Sakura exclaimed.

Again, however, the younger girl was ignored. "Maybe you got over your Servant's death in less than two hours," Shira continued hotly, "but not all of us can do that."

Rin, who was momentarily caught off guard by Shira's interruption, now looked nettled. "I was just saying—"

"You don't know _anything_, all right?" The burning in the redhead's eyes was becoming more noticeable, but she began blinking rapidly to keep it at bay. "You—you weren't there, you didn't see Saber disappear, you didn't have him holding your hand up until the moment he faded away—"

Shira abruptly stopped; her voice now sounded choked with the tears she was still forcing back. She looked down and squeezed her eyes shut. _I'm not gonna cry. I'm _not_ gonna cry._

"Senpai?" Sakura's voice was tentative; Shira imagined her reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder.

But at that moment, Shira opened her eyes and looked back up, striding over to the door without a glance at either Sakura or Rin.

"Where are you going?" Rin wanted to know.

"Out; I'm not hungry anymore," Shira answered, thankful that her tone was more curt than anything else. "Tell Fuji-nee and Ilya that I'm not feeling too well when they get here."

And with that, Shira exited the room, went down the hall, and left the estate. Her legs carried her quickly across the roads and streets of town, though she wasn't sure when she had started picking up speed. Eventually, she arrived at the Fuyuki Bridge and walked to the railing, staring without really seeing the river's waters below.

Yes, Shira knew Saber was gone. She knew he wasn't coming back. And she damn well didn't need anyone—least of all Rin—to tell her that. Did the older girl think that Shira was burying her head in the sand? Pretending that Saber was still alive? Well, she wasn't. If it seemed to her friends that she was going out of her way to act normally, it was because it was the only thing she could think of to keep from going insane.

So what if acting like nothing was bothering her resulted in her sometimes forgetting that Saber wasn't there? So what if she occasionally prepared a meal and realized too late that there was too much food and too many places at the table (for the third time in a row)?

It was either that or let herself waste away pining after her former Servant. And if Shira did _that_, she might as well be spitting on Saber's grave.

_"You—you weren't there, you didn't see Saber disappear, you didn't have him holding your hand up until the moment he faded away—"_

Shira gripped the railing tightly, clenching her teeth as the memory of Saber kissing her hand appeared in her head, followed by the instant his touch vanished and she knew he was gone for good.

Her eyes burned again.

_I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry._

The clouds parted, revealing the moon in the sky.

Shira took one look at the river now shining with moonlight—then suddenly drew a hand back and curled it into a fist. With a strangled cry, she punched the metal railing as hard as she could.

She only got bruised knuckles for her trouble.


	3. A Dream Fulfilled

_If you were here beside me instead of in New York  
__If the curve of you was curved along me  
__I'd tell you that I loved you before I ever knew you  
'Cause I loved the simple thought of you  
_**–"New York" by Snow Patrol**

* * *

**A Dream Fulfilled**

_This place could only be heaven, he decided._

_After all, what other name was there for a place where white, fluffy clouds adorned an endless azure sky? What other word could describe a land where a warm sun cast its light on an infinite blanket of fresh green grass dotted with fragrant, brightly colored flowers? Even the air he breathed tasted sweet, untainted by anything that could spoil such incredible beauty._

_If this was not heaven, then he did not know what else it could be._

_Even so, it was not merely his surroundings that had caught Arthur's attention. He spent a moment looking around the peaceful meadow, quiet aside from the soft wind blowing past, before his gaze landed on a figure standing some distance away. He began walking to the figure, and as he got closer, he could see that it was a girl. His pace quickened into a jog, then a sprint as an eagerness he had never felt before flooded through his veins, his heart filling with a joy he did not understand._

_As he continued running to the girl, drinking in the sight of her like a parched man who had at last found water, she turned to face him. Tresses of hair as red as fire cascaded down her back, glinting beneath the sun's rays and swaying in the slight breeze. Her bright brown eyes were sparkling rapturously, matched only by the delighted smile on her face. The white and blue garb she wore appeared strange to him, but he hardly gave it a second thought as he stopped a few feet away from her, unable to resist giving her a smile of his own._

_Arthur had never seen this girl before, but for some reason, she felt as familiar to him as though he had known her all his life._

_He could not say how long he spent simply looking at her, wanting nothing more than to commit her to memory. Soon enough, though, she hurried forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly. His breath hitched in his throat as he felt her body, as slender as a willow tree, pressed against his own, but his hands settled themselves on her back as if on instinct, while his chin rested on her head._

_In this ethereal paradise, enveloped in the arms of an exotically beautiful girl he had never met, Arthur felt at home._

And then, to his initial, inexplicable disappointment, he woke up, not to the sight of a splendorous utopia, but to the simple two-room hut he'd lived in for the past fifteen years. Rather than feeling soft, feminine arms encircling him, he felt the hand of his brother Kay roughly shaking his shoulder. Instead of the sound of a gentle breeze, he heard Kay's voice loudly demanding that he get up.

As Arthur prepared himself for the day ahead, images of a green meadow and a red-haired, brown-eyed girl flashed into his mind. It had been a nice dream, he supposed—but also quite odd. The girl in his dream was a complete stranger to him, yet how could a stranger stir up such strong emotions within him? Why on Earth had he felt so elated, so ecstatic, to see her?

Those were questions without any answers, and by the time Arthur and Kay left the village for Camelot, the dream had been pushed into a corner of the former's mind.

Many hours later, as Arthur pulled Caliburn from its stone, the dream had been forgotten entirely.

* * *

The only thing Saber could hear was the sound of heavy breathing—his and Shira's. He rolled off of her and lay on the grass of Avalon, allowing the breeze to caress his heated skin. It wasn't long before Shira, just as flushed and naked as Saber was, moved to curl into his side, and he draped one arm over her to pull her closer as her fingertips traced patterns on his chest.

For a while, both were quiet as they came down from their climaxes from just a few minutes ago, their minds lost in a blissful daze. Eventually, Saber found his thoughts drifting from the present to the past, to a time where the woman beside him was nothing more than a brief dream, and he tore his eyes away from the sky to stare down at Shira, placing his hand over hers.

"I love you," he said softly. "Perhaps ever since that night I dreamed of you, so long ago."

Shira hummed as she tilted her face up to get a better look at Saber. "I remember that dream. You were here in Avalon, and you looked so happy...It took me a while to remember that I was in the dream, too, and that's what made me realize that we'd be together again eventually."

She paused; a frown came to her face, but she seemed more thoughtful than angry. "Funny you should say that you loved me years before we even met, because you sure didn't act like you loved me."

"I confess that my dream had long been forgotten by the time you summoned me," Saber admitted. "I only remembered it on the last day of the War, after I had rejected Kotomine's offer to give me the Grail."

"You never said anything," Shira commented as she extricated herself from Saber's hold and got to her knees.

"There never seemed to be a proper time to bring it up," Saber told her as he sat up as well. "And even if there was, what could I have said? The future is not set in stone; for all I knew, our efforts to reunite would all be in vain. It's entirely possible that my dream could have turned out to be exactly that—a dream."

"Except they weren't, and it wasn't," Shira reminded him, smiling slightly. And before Saber could reply, she crawled into his lap and kissed him, her hands roaming over his body: his shoulders, his back, his chest, his neck. She was slow in her movements, even a bit lazy, but her touch was enough for sparks to course through him, coaxing him back into the amorous mood from before.

Shira was right, Saber thought as he returned her kiss, one hand trailing down to her hip while the other cradled the back of her head. Possibilities may be endless, and some were worse than others, but it was reality that was most important. And the reality was that, after everything they had to endure, both together and apart, they were free to spend eternity with each other.

It was something that nothing could ever take away from them. What they were denied in life, they now had in death.

Saber did not want to waste a second of it. And judging from Shira's soft moans as their kiss increased in intensity, neither did she.


	4. A King Who Deserves a Queen

**Author's Note:** Nonstop listening to "On My Own" from _Les Misérables_ and "He Doesn't See Me" by Sarah Brightman (the latter of which being the inspiration for the one-shot's title) led to this one-shot.

* * *

**A King Who Deserves a Queen**

_Smile,_ Ayaka Sajyou told herself as she headed down the school's hallway to a room marked 2-A, attempting to force her lips into a small grin. She didn't have to see her reflection to know her smile looked fake, and all efforts to appear pleasant were dropped by the time she entered the classroom.

She half regretted it the instant she saw the blond-haired boy already sitting at his desk. As Ayaka walked to her own seat, she sneaked a glance at Saber, whose eyes had not even flickered at her arrival. He looked exactly as he had in her dream last night: flawless. Everything about him was perfect—the unkempt golden hair, the cool blue-green eyes, the straight posture, the pale hands neatly folded on the table.

After Ayaka was seated at the desk right behind Saber's, her blue eyes remained focused on him. She wondered if he could feel her staring at him and if he would turn in her direction. He had once, the day she transferred to Homurahara Academy. He'd turned around in his seat to look at her, one of his eyebrows raised in question, and she'd hurriedly lowered her gaze and busied herself with cleaning her glasses, embarrassed at being caught.

At present, if Saber sensed that he was being watched, he ignored it completely, and maybe that was for the best. Ayaka did not know what she'd do if he looked at her again. Oh, she knew what she'd _like_ to do—strike up a conversation, maybe begin with small talk that would gradually lead to him asking her if she wanted to spend time with him after school. But the chances of that happening were less than zero, and not just because Ayaka had never been known for having the best social skills.

It was also because Saber, the most sought after guy in school, already had a girlfriend. Said girlfriend was not the very popular Rin Tohsaka, as one might have expected, but Shira Emiya, who, while not necessarily school idol material, was everything Ayaka was not: cheerful, friendly, warmhearted, and quite pretty when it came to looks. Even if Ayaka could muster whatever courage she had to talk to Saber, how could she ever compete with the girl who had apparently stolen his heart before he even enrolled in this school?

And if that wasn't enough, Yua, Emiko, and Aina, three girls in Ayaka and Saber's class, got great, even cruel amusement out of the entire situation.

"Really, Sajyou! Of all the boys you could pine after, it has to be Mr. Foreign, Gorgeous, and Off-Limits," Emiko said with a giggle at the start of that day's lunch break.

Ayaka, who had been staring at Saber as he stood in the lunch line, turned her head towards the girl who had just spoken, belatedly realizing that Emiko, along with Yua and Aina, had walked up to the cafeteria table she was sitting at.

"Uh...well..." Ayaka's voice was small as her insides clenched, and she had barely gotten those two words out before Aina starting talking.

"You've been staring at Saber for, like, two minutes straight. What, you think he'll notice you if you burn a hole through his head?"

"Of course he wouldn't," Yua declared as Aina laughed at her own joke. "Sajyou's so mousy that it'd be a miracle if a guy like Saber even knew she existed. Isn't that right, Sajyou?" she added, smirking.

"H-hey—!" Ayaka began to protest, her face flushing.

"Oh, don't try to pretend it's not true," Emiko interrupted, rolling her brown eyes. "You'll only embarrass yourself."

"She's embarrassing herself enough as it is," Aina said, addressing Emiko and Yua as though Ayaka wasn't there to hear her every word. "Even if Saber wasn't with Emiya, he's still way out of Sajyou's league."

The bespectacled girl stared at her lap, her throat feeling tight. "Stop it."

But the taunts only continued, Aina, Emiko, and Yua paying no heed to Ayaka's feeble plea.

"Face it, Sajyou; you're pathetic."

"What makes you think Saber would have anything to do with a plain Jane like you?"

"And you're too much of a coward to even _talk_ to him!"

"It'd be funny if it wasn't so sad."

Just as tears were pricking at the corners of Ayaka's eyes, a male voice broke in.

"I believe that is quite enough."

Ayaka could barely suppress a shocked gasp as she looked up. That voice, that calm, dignified voice—she had listened to it plenty of times before, of course, but never as more than an eavesdropper to a conversation. She felt her heart begin to race as her eyes took in the very real sight of Saber standing across from where she sat, carrying a bento box in his hands and furrowing his brow disapprovingly at the girls bullying her.

For their part, Emiko, Yua, and Aina seemed as surprised as Ayaka was once they realized that the blond was there.

Yua was the first to find her voice. "Saber!" she exclaimed, plastering a smile on her face. "We were just talking about you!"

"Yes, I surmised as much," Saber said coolly. "My apologies, but I could not help but overhear you tormenting this girl."

He spared a glance at Ayaka, who resumed staring at her lap as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, feeling a blush creeping to her cheeks.

"Tormenting?" Emiko repeated. "We were just having some fun."

"Oh?" Saber fixed another glare at the three girls. "From what I saw, it looked as though she was not enjoying having insults thrown at her. Or were my eyes deceiving me?"

Neither Aina, Emiko, nor Yua had any answer; Ayaka did not look to see their expressions, but she imagined they were quite unnerved by Saber's frosty demeanor.

"I suggest you leave," he said after several seconds of silence.

A few more seconds passed, and then Aina muttered something that Ayaka could barely hear. When she finally lifted her head, she saw that the girls were walking off towards the other side of the cafeteria.

"Are you all right?" Saber questioned, his voice now less cool but no less even.

Ayaka gave a start as she shifted her gaze to him, noticing how those perfect blue-green eyes of his were looking at her in polite concern. Her own eyes quickly stared out into space; even now, she could hardly work up the nerve to maintain eye contact with Saber.

"Um...I...I'm fine," she stammered out quietly. "Th-thank you for...you know, for what you did, S-Saber..."

She could feel her cheeks burning even further. Was this the best she could do? She had lost count of how many times she'd fantasized about the moment she would have her first conversation with Saber, and now that the moment had arrived—and after he had defended her from bullies, at that—she could do nothing more than stutter out her words in little more than a whisper. Oh, what must he think of her?

But Saber did not seem at all put off by Ayaka's timidity. "You are welcome, though I'm sorry those girls teased you so. They should not have said any of those things."

_They didn't say anything that wasn't true,_ Ayaka thought gloomily. _I'm a coward, I'm pathetic, and I'm so hopelessly average in absolutely everything: looks, grades...magecraft. I stand out so little that I might as well blend myself into a wall. You wouldn't even have noticed me if Yua, Emiko, and Aina hadn't decided to make fun of me._

Out loud, though, Ayaka let out a noncommittal hum.

"If something like that happens again," Saber told her, "you know who to find for help, Miss..." His voice trailed off expectantly.

"Oh!" Ayaka forced herself to meet his gaze. "Sajyou. Th-that is..." she paused momentarily, "m-my name is Ayaka Sajyou."

"I see." Saber nodded. "Well then, Ayaka, I am supposed to meet Shira for lunch, but perhaps we can talk at a later time. Goodbye."

"Um...yeah; g-goodbye," Ayaka mumbled as Saber politely bowed his head. She watched him leave the cafeteria in disappointment; a part of her had hoped that maybe he'd want to eat lunch with _her_, but she knew it was pointless as soon as he mentioned his girlfriend's name.

On the other hand, though...Ayaka's eyes widened slightly. Hadn't Saber said they could talk later? And he'd stepped in and stuck up for her even when he didn't have to. He had been so nice to her, and never before had he shown so much interest; it surely meant that he liked her, too! Right?

It was a pleasant thought, and the slow smile that appeared on Ayaka's face was much more genuine than her morning's attempt at a smile had been. As she finally starting eating her lunch, daydreams about Saber filled her head. They would have that talk, she'd properly thank him for helping her out, he'd invite her out on a rendezvous...

But how were those daydreams supposed to become a reality, especially with Shira in the picture? Ayaka mused on this for a moment, and an idea began to form.

_Well, they say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach..._

* * *

Saber strode out of his classroom shortly after the bell signaling lunchtime rang. That morning had found Shira realizing that she'd forgotten to make a lunch for herself—and she had no money on her person to buy one—just as she and Saber were about to reach school. He'd assured her that he would use his own money to buy a lunch for both of them to share from the cafeteria, which was where he now intended to go before meeting with Shira on the school's rooftop.

He was walking through the halls, about halfway to his first destination, when he heard a voice call out to him.

"Saber."

The blond stopped and looked over his shoulder to see Ayaka Sajyou, the bullied girl he had helped the other day, stepping towards him, a boxed lunch in hand.

"Hello, Ayaka," Saber greeted. "Has someone else been bothering you?"

"Uh...no," Ayaka shook her head, "nothing like that. Um...I just..." Her voice, almost as soft as it had been yesterday, trailed off uncertainly, and she cast her gaze downward.

"Yes?" Saber prompted after a few seconds of silence.

"I...um...made this for you," Ayaka finally said, looking up at him and holding out the boxed lunch.

Saber accepted it with a puzzled frown. "You prepared a lunch for me?"

"Yeah..." Ayaka confirmed, pushing a lock of shoulder-length black hair behind her ear. "You helped me out yesterday, and I...I thought I should thank you for it."

Saber hummed in response, not failing to notice the telling blush on the bespectacled girl's face. He had little doubt that Ayaka genuinely wanted to thank him for defending her from the girls who'd been bullying her, but he was also acutely aware of the likelihood that it was more than simple gratitude that had caused her to approach him. He was no stranger to girls being infatuated with him despite his relationship with Shira, and if Ayaka had been the simpering and fawning type, he would have very firmly rejected whatever advances she tried to make.

But the girl in front of him was neither simpering nor fawning over him; truthfully, she was painfully shy and seemed rather fragile to Saber. He could imagine that a blunt rejection would not go over very well, so he would have to take a different approach—namely, pretending that he was oblivious. Perhaps if he simply did not react to Ayaka's feelings towards him, she would give up any hope she had of dislodging Shira's place in his heart.

So rather than mention how red she was, with a slight smile, he said, "Well, I suppose it's my turn to thank you, Ayaka. I am certain that Shira and I will enjoy your cooking."

The smile that had begun to spread across Ayaka's face when Saber started talking disappeared once he said Shira's name.

"S-Shira?" she parroted, her face returning to its natural color.

"Yes; Shira left for school this morning without a lunch, so I told her I would buy something for us to share. She was initially rather adamant that I not 'waste money on her,' as she put it, but I was insistent."

Saber's smile broadened a little as he remembered how the conversation had gone.

_"Look, Saber, I'll be fine. It's not like I make a habit out of skipping meals," Shira said as they stood in front of the school's gate. "Besides, I can always ask Sakura or Tohsaka if they'd share their lunches with me."_

_"Even so, Shira," Saber replied patiently, "it would not be right for me to not provide you with food if I have the means to do it."_

_Shira huffed, shaking her head. "You make it sound like I'll starve. And that's _your_ money you'll be spending; you don't need to spend it on me."_

_"What if I told you I wanted to?" A small grin crossed Saber's lips. "And to be more accurate, I would be spending money on both of us."_

_The redhead opened her mouth, then closed it as she realized that she couldn't come up with anything to contradict what Saber had said. After a few seconds of thought, she chuckled a bit._

_"Is this your way of spoiling me, Saber?" Shira teased._

_"Not at all." Although the question had been meant as a joke, Saber responded seriously. "I merely do not enjoy the thought of you going hungry."_

_His statement caused Shira to give pause, then she let out a sigh and nodded after a momentary silence. "Okay." She took his hand, and the couple walked through the gate and towards the school building._

_"Thanks, Saber," Shira told him quietly._

_He turned his head to look at her. "What are you thanking me for?"_

_The soft smile she gave him caused his heart to skip a beat. "For just being you."_

"In any case," Saber continued after mentally shaking himself out of the memory, "you giving this lunch to me saves me from having to go to the cafeteria, so I thank you again."

"Oh." Ayaka looked away from him after that subdued, monosyllabic reply. "Well...y-you're welcome. I'll just get going, then...See you later."

With that said, she turned on her heel and hurried past Saber before he could think to say anything.

* * *

"Saber!" Shira greeted once he made it to the roof, getting up from where she'd sat on a bench and walking over to him. "I see you've got us food."

"I did, but as it turned out, I did not have to buy it," Saber told her as he handed the boxed lunch to her. "It was given to me by a girl in my class."

Shira looked up from examining the contents of the lunch, her initial grin slowly giving way to a frown. "A girl?"

"Yes, Ayaka Sajyou." As the two headed towards the bench Shira had been sitting on, Saber continued explaining. "I helped her out when a few girls were harassing her yesterday, so she gave me that lunch to thank me."

"Why do I get the feeling that she wants to thank you in an entirely different way?" Shira could not quite hide the peevish note in her voice.

"Are you jealous?" Saber asked once they were seated, only half serious.

"Of course not!" Shira insisted, despite the reddening of her cheeks.

"Your face seems to be telling a different story."

"Oh, shut up." The redhead averted her gaze from Saber, her blush deepening.

He sighed after a moment. "Shira," he began, all traces of humor abandoned, "you already know I favor you."

"It's not about that," she confessed as she refocused on him, the blush having faded. "It's just that girls have a tendency of throwing themselves at you. Can you blame me for being annoyed?"

"I suppose not," Saber admitted. "But I believe this means that you can no longer accuse me of acting like a Neanderthal whenever I feel envious," he added, resuming his teasing.

Shira scoffed and rolled her eyes, though she was now smiling again. "Says the guy who tried to kill Issei with his eyes—more than once. But anyway," she set the boxed lunch down between herself and Saber, "how about we see if this Ayaka Sajyou is a good cook?"

And with that, the couple began eating.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I had planned on only having Ayaka appear in this one-shot, but if anyone wants to see more of her, I'll see if I can come up with anything.


	5. New Year

**New Year**

Shira decided that whoever first thought to include alcohol in New Year celebrations had never seen someone get drunk.

While she, Saber, Rin, and Sakura had drank one or two cups of sake and Ilya was only allowed the traditional three sips (much to the white-haired girl's disgruntlement), Taiga was getting wasted. Shira stared at her guardian from where she sat at the dining room table, no longer hungry for the soba noodles she'd prepared for the New Year's Eve dinner, as the woman in question swayed in her seat, loudly "la la la"-ing to the melody of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony playing on TV—or trying to, anyway. For once, Taiga took little interest in the food as she downed cup after cup of sake, her face becoming redder the more she drank.

Rin was unable to suppress an amused grin at the brunette's antics. Saber continued calmly eating his meal, as though somebody getting intoxicated was an everyday occurrence. Ilya was taking advantage of Taiga's current drunkenness by stealing food from the latter's plate.

"Ilya, stop doing that," Shira admonished as her adopted sister grabbed another piece of Taiga's sushi.

"Why not?" Ilya asked carelessly, popping the sushi into her mouth. "Taiga's in no condition to yell at me, so what's the big deal?"

Before Shira could inform Ilya that it wasn't polite to steal food from people, even if they _were_ drunk out of their minds, Sakura chose that moment to speak.

"Uh, Ms. Fujimura," she began, sounding concerned, "I think you've had enough to drink for one night."

Taiga paused in her singing attempts long enough to answer. "Whaddya talking about, Sakura?" she asked, her voice slurred. "I feel fantastic!"

"You won't be saying that in the morning, believe me," Shira warned, frowning.

The wide grin never left Taiga's face. "But it's nighttime now! The morning hasn't come yet! I'll worry about the morning...um..." her grin faded a little as she slowly blinked her glassy brown eyes, then suddenly returned in full force, "whenever the morning gets here!"

Shira smacked herself in the head, feeling a migraine coming on, while Taiga giggled and groped for the flask of sake, her hand shaking. Just as her fingertips were about to graze her new favorite drinking container, Saber grabbed the flask and held it out of her reach.

"Sakura and Shira are right, Taiga," Saber said, his voice firm. "Enough is enough."

Taiga's demeanor went from cheery to furious in no time at all.

"No! Gimme that!" She shot to her feet, but her legs wobbled almost immediately, and Rin stood up to grab her right arm before she could fall flat on her face.

"Lemme go!" Taiga demanded, obviously misinterpreting Rin's actions as she unsuccessfully attempted to break out of the black-haired girl's grip.

"Maybe we should go home," Rin suggested, the humor she'd initially gotten out of the situation now gone.

"Aw, but things are just getting interesting!" Ilya complained.

"But what about—?" Sakura tried to ask barely after Ilya had finished, eyeing Taiga nervously.

"I will get her to a guest room," Saber interrupted as he set the flask aside, stood up, and took the drunken woman by the left arm, pulling her to the door as soon as Rin let go of her. "Come with me, Taiga."

"But my sake!" Taiga wailed, sounding somewhere between outraged and anguished as she tried squirming out of Saber's grasp.

Not bothering to form a reply, the blond dragged her out of the room despite her struggles and protests.

Shira sighed. "Guess I'll lead you guys out, then." So saying, she, Rin, Sakura, and Ilya left the dining room as well, and before long, the latter three were out on the front doorstep of the estate.

"Will you still be going to visit Ryudou Temple tomorrow, Senpai?" Sakura questioned.

"Sure I will...I think," Shira replied, stifling a groan as Taiga's drunken shouts were heard. Still, the redhead managed a smile as she exchanged goodnights with the other girls, and once Ilya, Sakura, and Rin were gone, Shira returned to the empty dining room.

For a few seconds, all she did was stare at the table, at the plates and bowls that contained half-eaten food. She could still hear Taiga shouting (_Honestly, Fuji-nee; I think there are people in China who haven't heard you yet,_ she thought grumpily), and she wondered if Saber needed any help with getting her settled. But before Shira could dwell on that thought, she spied the flask of sake sitting near Saber's plate.

...Maybe a couple more drinks to settle her nerves first wouldn't be such a bad idea.

* * *

It took more time than Saber would have liked to get Taiga to a guest room, what with her trying her hardest, both physically and verbally, to get him to let her go and stumble her way back to the dining room. Luckily, though, as soon as the door to the nearest guest room was opened, the woman's alcohol-induced...hysteria, for lack of a better word, disappeared as quickly as it had come. Saber finally let go of Taiga's arm and watched her stagger towards the futon and fall face first onto it.

He heard light breathing not two seconds later, confirming that Taiga was now asleep. Saber made a mental note to come back with some water before heading back to the dining room, thinking that Shira could use his help with cleaning up the kitchen.

No sooner had he slid the door to the dining room open did he find himself looking at the sight of Shira sitting on her knees at the table with her head thrown back, gulping down a cup of sake.

"Honey!" she exclaimed as she turned in Saber's direction, her eyes glazed over and a bright, lopsided smile on her flushed face.

Saber blinked. In the time it had taken him to get Taiga settled, Shira, who always called him either Saber or Arthur (the latter of which being reserved for intimate moments), had gotten herself drunk enough to address him by a term of endearment? He hadn't been gone _that_ long, had he?

"Shira," he responded as neutrally as he could, uncertain if he should find this amusing or not.

The redhead set her cup aside, evidently losing all interest in drinking, and stood up on unsteady legs. She stumbled over to Saber, and he walked forward with his arms outstretched, ready to catch her if she lost her balance. That, however, proved to be unnecessary, as Shira grabbed Saber and pulled him into a tight hug the instant he was in her reach. He only had time for a startled yelp before she crushed her mouth to his.

Her kiss was rough—in fact, he'd wager that it was even rougher than some of their more passionate kisses—and her hands were eager in their exploration of his body. In any other situation, Saber would have let himself get lost in the moment, but the taste of sake curbed whatever lust he'd ordinarily feel. His breath hitched as Shira's hand wandered down his chest and stomach to reach his pants, and he quickly broke off the kiss and pulled away from her, keeping her at arm's length.

"Shira," Saber said again, "now is not the time."

"But we're alone," she murmured, leaning forward to thrust her tongue back into his mouth, one of her hands now trying to get his tie off.

"And you are drunk," he pointed out after pulling back for the second time. "Perhaps you should be in our room now."

A mischievous gleam lit up Shira's eyes at the mention of their bedroom; Saber wouldn't have been surprised if everything else he'd said had not registered in her mind at all. "Ooh; getting frisky, are we?"

_You are one to talk,_ he thought as Shira moved forward to press her lips to his throat, her arms once again wrapping around him to pull him closer. Even so, he could not help the small groan that escaped him as she covered his neck in kisses. If he was being honest, to say that letting her have her way with him was not a temptation would be a lie, but ultimately, taking advantage of her while she was drunk was the last thing he wanted.

"Not here," Saber gasped out as he pushed Shira away.

Her lower lip quivered. "C'mon, honey; I want you."

"I know you do." He gave her what he hoped was his most charming smile. "But I believe it would be more comfortable if we continued this in our room. Would you not agree, Shira?"

Making it sound like she would get something other than sleep may have been deceptive, but the lie was necessary if Saber wanted to get her asleep in bed before things got out of hand. In any case, Shira ended up happily compiling and allowed the blond to quite literally sweep her off her feet and carry her bridal-style out of the dining room.

They were about halfway down the hall when she lifted her face up to try to kiss him again.

"Patience, Shira," Saber told her as he turned his head away, both to avoid her lips and to hide the amusement he was starting to feel about her persistence. "There will be plenty of time for that in the future."

_When you are sober,_ he added silently. _And when I have put a wedding ring on your finger._

Saber could almost feel the pout Shira was directing at him, but he was able to reach their bedroom without any further incident. He managed to open the door and close it behind them with his foot, then walked to the futon and lowered them both onto it.

He was just pulling the futon's blankets aside when Shira's arms snaked around Saber's neck and her mouth attacked his with renewed enthusiasm. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her down onto her back, ending the kiss and looking at her as she gazed up at him through already half-closed eyes.

"Love you, honey," she mumbled.

"I love you, too." Saber removed his hands from Shira's shoulders and moved to get up.

"Hey, where're you going?" Shira asked, grabbing him by the wrist.

"I'm merely stepping out," the blond told her, prying her fingers from his wrist. "Please relax for now; I will return shortly."

And with that, Saber stood up and walked towards the door. He had only taken a few paces before he turned around to find that Shira was now fast asleep, and he allowed himself a soft chuckle. _Nice try, Master._

He stepped back to the futon to cover Shira up with the blankets, then headed to the dining room to wash the dishes. Once that was done, Saber turned off the television, went to the bathroom to get two cups of water, and took one to the guest room where he'd left Taiga. Afterward, he returned to his and Shira's room, set the second cup of water on the desk placed beneath the window, and slipped into bed.

In her sleep, Shira turned to snuggle up to Saber; this time, he didn't pull away, and it wasn't long before he joined her in slumber.

* * *

When Shira opened her eyes the next morning, the sunlight coming in from the window caused her to immediately close them again.

Her first thought as she turned to press her face into her pillow was, _Ugh...why does the sun have to be so bright?_

Her second thought as she heard herself groan was, _Why the hell do we not have curtains?_

And her third thought was an acknowledgement of the fact that her head was pounding like someone was beating at it with a hammer. What on Earth happened last night? Shira tried to remember through her headache. There had been the New Year's Eve dinner...then Taiga got drunk, so Ilya, Rin, and Sakura left early...then she'd noticed the flask of sake...but what happened after that? Try as she might, Shira couldn't remember.

Just how much did she drink, anyway?

"Happy New Year, Shira," she heard Saber say, his voice low.

The redhead guessed that he was either lying or sitting beside her in the futon, but she didn't bother with turning in his direction. "Define 'happy,'" she rasped. "God, my head's killing me."

Shira felt Saber rub her back as he continued. "I brought water for you and set it on your desk. Can you get it on your own, or do you want me to?"

"You go ahead; I don't trust myself to move right now."

She stayed where she was, eyes closed and face in her pillow, as she heard Saber step forward to the desk. Groggily, Shira got up on her knees and opened her eyes just enough to see Saber kneeling in front of her with a paper cup of water in hand. She gratefully accepted the cup and took slow, small sips.

"Thanks, Saber," she said when the water was about half gone. After a slight pause, she asked, "Uh...can you tell me what happened last night? The last thing I remember is having some sake after Tohsaka, Sakura, and Ilya left."

Saber remained silent for a few seconds, obviously considering his words carefully. "I got Taiga settled in a guest room, and when I returned to the dining room, I saw that you were drinking. And then...well, you were very physically affectionate."

"...Oh." She stared down at her cup, already having some idea of where this was going. "More so than usual, you mean?"

"Yes," Saber answered. "Not only that, but you were quite...ah, eager to get me out of my clothes." He paused as Shira felt her face burn red hot. "And you kept calling me honey," he added as though it were an afterthought.

Shira looked back up at Saber; she grinned a bit despite herself. "Seriously?"

The blond nodded. "I was able to bring you to our room, and you fell asleep shortly afterward."

"Hmm." What little of a grin that was on Shira's face faded as she took note of how calm Saber's tone had been from the moment she'd woken up. Granted, Saber being so levelheaded and even-tempered was nothing new, and it was one of the things she loved about him, but somehow, his calmness seemed out of place.

"What is it?" Saber wanted to know after several seconds of silence.

Shira took a sip of water before replying. "You're not mad? I mean, from what you told me, I basically tried to jump your bones last night."

"You were drunk, and it's not as if you held me down or anything...although you had a difficult time keeping your hands off of me," Saber added, a slight, teasing smile tugging at his lips.

"Well, that's comforting," Shira said dryly, drinking the rest of her water.

"And," Saber went on, becoming serious again, "even if I were angry about anything you did last night, I believe you suffering from the effects of a hangover is enough of a punishment."

"No kidding." The redhead pressed a hand to her still aching temple to prove the point. "And speaking of which, I wonder how Fuji-nee is holding up?"

Before Saber could respond, the two were startled by the sound of loud retching coming from the bathroom.

"Guess that answers my question," was all Shira could say, wincing in sympathy.

* * *

**Author's Note:** According to the Wikipedia article on Japanese New Year, it's tradition for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to be performed throughout Japan during the New Year season.


	6. Silver and Gold

**Author's Note:** Consider this one-shot as being a preparation of sorts for what to expect in some future one-shots. You'll know what I mean after reading this (unless you're Ascarde; in that case, you already know).

* * *

**Silver and Gold**

_The only things that registered in the red-haired girl's ears were her ragged breath, pounding heart, and the sound of her feet slapping the ground as she ran. Her lungs were burning and her legs ached, practically begging her to stop before she collapsed in exhaustion, but it wasn't in Shira Emiya's nature to worry about herself, not when somebody was in danger._

_Especially when that somebody was a loved one._

_Shira's eyes frantically darted this way and that as she hurried down the dirt path of the Einzbern Forest. "Saber!" she screamed. "_Saber_!" She had to find him—she _had_ to—and soon, before it was too late and something terrible happened. But _where was he_?!_

_She skidded to a halt as the woods she was in suddenly disappeared, the city park now in its place. Sweet relief flooded her veins once she spotted Saber standing in the middle of the brick road, and she called out his name as she dashed towards him._

_Saber turned to face her. "Shira?" But he got no further than that before the redhead engulfed him in a hug._

_"You're okay...thank goodness you're okay," Shira panted, pulling back a little with a tired but no less relieved smile. Her heart, initially so relentless in its thudding, was now slowing down to its usual rate._

_"Yes, I'm fine," Saber began; his lips slightly curved upward in reassurance, but it faded as he continued. "But what about you, Shira? You seem exhausted. Just how long have you been running?"_

_"I don't know," she admitted, "but does it matter? I'm just glad you're not hurt."_

_The blond let out a sigh. "Your wellbeing is still one of your least concerns, I see. Even so," he smiled again, "I suppose you would not be you if you did not care so much for others."_

_"Are you saying you wouldn't have me any other way?" Shira asked._

_Saber chuckled as he cupped the side of her face with a gauntleted hand. "I believe I am."_

_Shira beamed as she took a moment to gaze at the young man before her. She took in his unruly blond hair, his penetrating blue-green eyes, his pale, beautiful face, and especially his armor—spotless, immaculate, and silver. The last time she had seen Saber wearing it had been at Ryudou Temple, right before the final battle in the Holy Grail War, and there was something comforting about seeing him now donned in that familiar armor._

_Really, what had she been so worried about?_

_She remembered a scant few seconds later._

_Just as Shira was leaning in for a kiss, she heard Saber let out a gasp, and the next thing she knew, he was roughly pushing her aside. She staggered backward and fell, the sound of his agonized scream filling her ears half a heartbeat later. She sat up, and her insides turned to ice at what she was seeing._

_"SABER!"_

_At least a dozen swords had pierced through Saber's body, the tips coming out through his back. His silver armor was now stained with his blood, the bright red liquid slowly dripping to the ground. And there, standing several feet away, was Gilgamesh, decked out from throat to toe in his gold, gleaming armor and a malevolent glint in his eyes._

_Saber doubled over, gasping for breath. He turned to face a frozen, horrified Shira, open-mouthed and wide-eyed. For an instant, all was silent...then Saber disappeared in a twinkling of light, allowing the bloody swords to fall with a ringing clatter._

_"No..." Shira stared at the spot where Saber had stood only seconds before, her vision blurring. "No!" she repeated more forcefully, shaking her head as tears spilled down her cheeks, her thoughts whirling. _Saber's not gone, he's not gone, he _can't_ be gone, God, please, _please_, not again—!

_It was Gilgamesh's voice, heavy with disdain, that reminded her she wasn't alone._

_"Pathetic boy. I expected him to at least _try_ to put up a fight before I killed him."_

_Shira looked up at the golden king. "You killed him," she choked out through her sobs. She saw the cool expression on Gilgamesh's face, and his nonchalance caused her grief to morph into blind rage. "_You killed him_!"_

_At once, she leapt to her feet, Bayuka materializing in her hand. With a cry, Shira raced forward, the white broadsword raised to attack. The distance between herself and her enemy lessened with every step, and she was so focused on her current goal that she hardly noticed that they were now inside Kotomine Church. But before Bayuka could connect with Gilgamesh's face—_clang_!_

_A sword had appeared in Gilgamesh's hand, and he effortlessly blocked Shira's attack, the force of the blow causing Bayuka to shatter and disappear. Snarling, the redhead prepared to project another weapon, but Gilgamesh chose that moment to grab her by the roots of her hair, forcing her to look him in the eye._

Let go of my hair!_ Shira thought furiously as she tried in vain to break free from the iron grip on her scalp. _Only Saber can touch my hair!

_"Not to worry, little girl; you'll be with your precious Saber soon." Gilgamesh leered as he leaned closer to her, lowering his voice to whisper in her ear. "After I've deflowered you."_

_Those last four words were enough for Shira to cease her struggles, stone-cold fear replacing her anger upon hearing the possessive lust in Gilgamesh's tone. A cry escaped her mouth as he tightened his hold on her and threw her backward onto the altar. She caught a glimpse of the church's high ceiling before her vision filled with his cruel grin, horrible crimson eyes, and unbearably bright gold armor._

_She felt Gilgamesh biting at her neck as his hand crept up her thigh, and Shira screamed._

* * *

Shira's eyes snapped open, and she jerked herself up with a short yell. Her breath was coming out in irregular pants, blood was pounding in her ears, and her nightgown was soaked with cold sweat. For one terrifying second, she didn't know where she was, but a quick glance around her dark, moonlit surroundings made her realize that she was still in her and Saber's room, sitting in their futon.

_It was only a dream,_ Shira told herself in an attempt to calm down. _Saber's alive, Gilgamesh isn't here, it was all a dream._

Actually, the more accurate word was "nightmare," but at the moment, it made little difference to the redhead. For her, nightmares had been a common occurrence for as long as she could remember, but if she were being honest, she would rather have woken up from her longstanding dream about the Fuyuki fire. At least that one was predictable, even if it wasn't very fun.

"What's wrong?"

Shira let out a shriek and recoiled upon feeling a hand on her arm. She whipped her head in the direction of the voice, caught a glimpse of blond hair, and, in her panic, immediately thought it was Gilgamesh. Was she still dreaming after all?

"No! Don't touch—" she began, but stopped as her brain fully processed the sight of the man sitting next to her. It was Saber, his hand in midair, staring at her with a startled expression on his face.

And from the window, the moon bathed him in its light. _Silver_ light.

Strangely enough, it was this minor detail that was able to convince Shira that she was fully awake.

"Shira?" Saber asked in concern when the silence went on for too long, lowering his hand.

The redhead tried to smile. "It's alright; I was just dreaming. Sorry I woke you."

"May I ask what it was about?"

"It's nothing, really." Shira lay back down, facing Saber. "We should get back to sleep," she added, closing her eyes.

But Saber would not be swayed. "Shira, I would hardly use 'nothing' to describe a dream that caused you to be as upset as you were a few minutes ago."

Shira sighed as she opened her eyes and sat back up; he had her there, she had to admit. Heck, the nightmare had had her so wound up that she'd objected to him touching her, and that was something she _never_ did. Feeling a small stab of guilt at that, Shira took Saber's hand in hers, gently rubbing her thumb along his knuckles.

"I dreamt about you dying in front of me," she finally said, her voice somber. "I was running around, looking for you, and when I found you, Gilgamesh showed up out of nowhere and..."

She paused, a lump forming in her throat. "He killed you—Saber, he _killed_ you." Her tone was becoming more distressed as she went on. "I watched you disappear all over again, and I couldn't—I couldn't do _anything_ about it, and then Gilgamesh threw me down and was going to—" Shira suddenly cut herself off with a surprised gasp as Saber let go of her hand to pull her into his arms.

"That was only a nightmare, Shira," he said into her hair. "None of it was real."

She allowed herself to settle into his embrace, but images from her nightmare still lingered in her mind, remnants of fears that had been buried deep into her subconscious. "It felt real enough, though," she mumbled. "Losing you again, Gilgamesh pawing me..."

"But you haven't lost me again," Saber insisted. "I'm not going anywhere. For as long as you want me with you, I will be here. And Gilgamesh cannot make good on his threats to violate you; I defeated him in the end, remember?"

One of his hands moved to stroke Shira's hair, and she felt her body relaxing despite herself. They stayed that way for several minutes, and little by little, the redhead's anxiety faded away as Saber's efforts to reassure her covered her like a warm blanket.

At present, Shira lifted her head up to look at Saber properly. "Thank you. And I'm sorry for freaking out earlier; I just thought I hadn't woken up yet."

"I understand." The hint of a grin formed on the blond's face. "And if Gilgamesh appears in your dreams again, let me know. I'm certain I can defeat him a second time."

Shira had to giggle at that. "What would I do without you?"

Saber's grin widened slightly. "As fate would have it, you will never have to know."

Her only reply was to stare at him with a bright smile, just as she had in her dream.

The King of Knights, illuminated by silver moonlight.

It was a vision of beauty that Gilgamesh, with all of his golden finery, could have never matched.


End file.
